Both the Australian and New Zealand governments have announced that they will join with a number of other countries (including the USA, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Korea, Mexico and the EC) to develop an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) as part of an international effort to curb the trade in counterfeit goods and pirated works.
It is intended that ACTA will set a common standard for intellectual property rights enforcement in matters such as criminal enforcement, border protection measures and civil enforcement; and establish enforcement best practices and mechanisms for international cooperation.